Senior Leadership
Steve Lanzano
President & Chief Executive Officer, TVB
Steven J. Lanzano joined TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry as President & CEO in January 2010. Steve is a 30-year+ veteran of media agencies, rising to CEO, North America of MEC (now Wavemaker) as well as COO of Havas Media. His accomplishments include both operational and advertising honors including a Cannes Gold Lion for AT&T/Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, 7-Time Adweek/MediaWeek Media Plan of the Year Award honoree, as well as being named an Adweek/MediaWeek Media All-Star the inaugural year of the award in 1986. He was also awarded the 1994 FCB Chairman’s Award. In 1999, MEC was also named Advertising Age’s “Media Agency of the Year” under his leadership. In 2024, he was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.
Steve is currently in his 15th year leading TVB. Under his leadership, membership has grown 20% to over 800+ member stations, accomplished through the creation of national and local new business development teams, renewed research offerings and a concerted effort to ramp-up advocacy efforts within both industry press and general press. Additionally, TVB’s annual conference has grown tenfold.
TVB is now in its 21st year of partnering with the Ad Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Project Roadblock: Local TV Puts the Brakes on Buzzed Driving with over 1,000 stations participating in this campaign. In addition, Steve serves on the boards of the Broadcast Foundation of America, The Ad Council, and the Emma Bowen Foundation. He is also involved with Drug-Free.org and The Greater NJ MS Society.
Steve has been the Principal Speaker at numerous events including Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference, JP Morgan Media Summit, Forecast 2022, Wells Fargo Advertising Day, Sanford C. Bernstein’s Future of Media Conference, ANA Annual Conference, NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) Annual Conference, and the NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association Conference) where his presentation was chosen as best in class.
Steve is married and resides in East Brunswick, New Jersey. He has three children, and six grandchildren.
Chris Carr
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, TVB
Chris Carr is SVP, Chief Financial Officer at TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry. He joined TVB in 2021 and provides strategic direction and management of the financial, investment, human resources, employee benefits, operational, and administrative functions for TVB. Chris joined TVB from his own consulting business where he had range of clients in the media space. Prior to that, he served as EVP Finance of Guardian News & Media LLC. and before that spent over 25 years working at BBC Studios in the UK and US. He first came to the US in 1998 to launch BBC America as its CFO.
Chris is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW) and holds a B.A. (Combined Honours) in Modern History & Politics with Economics from the University of Southampton in the UK.
Hadassa Gerber
Executive Vice President, Chief Research Officer, TVB
Hadassa Gerber was named Chief Research Officer of TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry in June 2014. Hadassa joined from the Syndicated Network Television Association (SNTA), where she served as the Director of Research and Systems. Prior to joining SNTA, she served in several senior and executive director roles for leading advertising agencies including Y&R, Media Edge, DeWitt Media, and McCann Erickson.
Known as an industry thought leader in media analytics, media strategy and digital, Hadassa has worked with numerous blue-chip companies, agency executives, and brand managers to help develop innovative solutions to complex marketing challenges and maximize return on investment. She has experience across all facets of the media services industry including strategic planning, media research, budgeting, targeting, channel selection and activation.
Ms. Gerber earned a Master’s degree in marketing and Bachelor’s degree in marketing/advertising (Magna Cum Laude) from Baruch College. She is a board member of the Media Ratings Council (MRC), a member of NAB’s COLTAM, the ARF and CIMM.
Trisha Ripperger
SVP, Strategic Communications & Category Development, TVB
Trisha Ripperger joined TVB in January of 2025, as SVP, Strategic Communications & Category Development. She is a seasoned marketing professional with a passion for driving strategic growth and delivering exceptional results. She formerly served as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Tom Wood Group, which has 28 businesses and 1,100 employees, Trisha was responsible for overseeing the company’s overall marketing strategy, encompassing brand development, digital marketing, advertising, customer acquisition, and retention initiatives.
Trisha’s journey in the marketing world began after earning her bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in business communications.
She has held various leadership positions with prominent companies. Under Trisha’s guidance, Tom Wood Group experienced unprecedented growth and solidified its position as a trusted and customer-centric brand. She’s stated in the past that her investment in local broadcast television was key in driving significant business growth.
Brad Seitter
Executive Vice President, Local & National Business Development, TVB
Brad Seitter is Executive Vice President of Local & National Business Development at TVB, the national trade association representing the power of America’s local broadcast television industry. With over 25 years of experience, Brad and his team travel nationwide to educate advertisers on the impact of combining local broadcast TV with digital to maximize reach and ROI.
Under his leadership, TVB’s business development efforts have successfully shifted millions of ad dollars toward broadcast TV by demonstrating how a strategic mix of video formats can elevate brand visibility and engagement across all 210 DMAs. Brad’s career also includes time with Scripps and FOX, as well as serving as President of the Kansas City Chiefs GameDay Television Network, where he led sponsorship integration and syndication across a regional network.
Brad’s expertise in both traditional broadcast and emerging digital platforms provides valuable insights into creating the right video mix for today’s advertising strategies.
Business Development
Brian Allers
Senior Vice President, Business Development, TVB
Brian Allers is Senior Vice President, Business Development at TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry. In his role with TVB, Brian works with local broadcast television stations and ownership groups by traveling the country and presenting to advertisers on how to grow their business through the right allocation of their media dollar. Brian also spearheads TVBU, TVB’s dedicated online sales training program. Brian handles the Midwest and West Coast Divisions for TVB and is on the road as much as 40 weeks out of the year.
Brian’s background includes over 20 years in marketing and advertising. Prior to joining TVB, Brian had successful stints at a number of local television stations owned by leading broadcast organizations including Meredith and Scripps.
Brian is a graduate of the University of Kansas and lives in Naples, FL with his two children.
Steve Sturm
Executive Automotive Consultant, TVB
Steve Sturm is the Executive Automotive Consultant at TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast industry. Over the past six years, Steve has provided his unique perspective on current sales, market, brand and marketing reviews to the industry. He published an Auto Industry Playbook that provides a comprehensive review of the industry and key selling techniques. Steve and the Business Development team provide one-on-one sales calls to member stations for their key auto accounts to help grow or gain new revenue.
Prior to consulting with TVB, Steve was an accomplished senior automotive marketing and media executive. He was a valued member of the top management teams in chief marketing roles with Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Motor Sales, USA. He was instrumental in brand building and market expansion, having launched numerous new and major redesigned models that generated billions of dollars in new revenue, entering new segments, growing revenue and market share for the Toyota and Lexus brands.
In addition, following his Toyota career, Steve led the automotive category at the Category Office for AOL and its automotive sites and marketing platforms. He delivered $10M+ in new annual revenue by adding five brands to their advertising portfolio.
Steve resides in Huntington Beach, California, and New York City.
Brian Wexler
Senior Vice President, Business Development, TVB
Brian Wexler is Senior Vice President, Business Development at TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry. At TVB, Brian is responsible for working with member stations to help support their efforts communicating local broadcast television as the leading medium for advertisers and agencies. Using decades of experience and solid market research, Brian is able to provide member stations and their clients a unique perspective on the advertising choices and marketing trends business owners face today. Residing in Tampa, FL, Brian represents the East Coast region educating them on the power of effective and efficient advertising. He also works closely with station sales providing resources and support such as training, webinars, industry presentations and in-person meetings.
Achieving numerous sales achievements throughout his career, Brian has the ideal complement of broadcast and digital experience that makes him an asset for any team. Our pledge to business owners and operators around the country, “By learning through other’s achievements, good strategic research and years of experience, we can help you take existing ad budgets and achieve greater ROIs.”
Brian’s career began in 1990 in the sales and marketing department for WJW-TV in Cleveland Ohio. He is a seasoned veteran in broadcast and digital sales, from AE to Management for a number of television stations owned by major broadcast groups.
He is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio.
Communications & Advocacy
Andrea Palesh
Director, Advocacy and Events, TVB
Andrea Palesh is Director, Advocacy and Events at TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry. Andrea has worked at TVB since 2021 – first as a Forward Conference Assistant, moving up the ranks to Manager, then Director of Events and Advocacy. Andrea has worked in New York City as an event producer and director in the fashion, entertainment, media, and theater industries since 2008, working on events from NY Fashion week to corporate conferences and off-Broadway productions. Additionally, she has worked on both the client and agency side as a marketer, specializing in social media and email strategy, creation, and implementation. Notable clients include: 7 For All Mankind, Garnier, Essie, Maybelline, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Olivia Riegel. Andrea was nominated for Best Director for the Broadway World 2022 Cabaret Awards. She received her BA in Dance and BS in Fashion Merchandising from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
Claire Walter
SVP, Creative & Production, TVB
Claire Walter is SVP, Creative & Production at TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry. She joined TVB in 1996 as Creative Services Manager, became Creative Services Director in 1998, was named to the VP position in 2003, and became an SVP in 2020. Claire spearheads the in-house creative and hands-on design for all of TVB’s graphics and visuals. She develops and ensures consistent visual continuity for TVB’s online, corporate branding, events, presentations, video and print executions. The design, production and execution of TVB’s Annual Forward Conference is a primary focus of Claire’s responsibilities. Whether virtual, live or a hybrid, the confab has become the calling card for the local broadcast television industry. In 2010, Claire designed TVB’s new corporate identity, including the creation of its logo, implementation of the new design across multi-platforms and the complete redesign and restructuring of TVB.org. Previously, Claire was Creative Director for DataFlow, a corporate communications firm specializing in direct mail, corporate identity and sales support materials. Prior to that she owned and operated Trovato Associates, Inc., a boutique advertising agency.
Research
Andrew Karamouzis
VP, Marketing Research Director, TVB
Andrew Karamouzis is VP, Marketing Research Director at TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast TV industry. Along with the other members of the TVB research team, Andrew provides the media research TVB members value and use daily. His media career began at the Syndicated Network Television Association (SNTA) in 2007 as a Television Research Associate. Over the next 7 years, he worked his way up in the company until its closure in 2014. Andrew joined TVB in August 2014 and is now approaching 10 years with the company.
Ron Salmon
VP, Marketing Research Director, TVB
Ron Salmon is VP, Marketing Research Director at TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast TV industry. Ron has worked at TVB for 20+ years, helping member stations navigate the ever-changing world of television research. He has worked extensively in the political category and on the weekly TVB research and measurement report, Insights (formerly VidLytics). Ron’s background includes numerous years as a research manager with Millennium Sales & Marketing, working with the Paramount Stations Group, the Sinclair Broadcast Group, as well as a Research Analyst with Katz Communications.
Anthony Spirito
VP, Marketing Research Director, TVB
Anthony Spirito is VP, Marketing Research Director at TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry. He joined TVB in 2018 and provides strategic analyses of data, translating it into compelling stories that advocate for local television for TVB and its members. Anthony joined TVB from Franco Research Group, an independent media research consultancy where he served as Director, Local Stations. There, he helped major broadcast TV groups navigate local measurement issues. Prior to joining Franco Research Group, Anthony spent 10 years serving as Director of Programming at the Katz Television Group, advising local TV broadcasters on programming strategies for local news and syndicated TV programming. Prior to Katz, Anthony spent considerable time in programming research at several major national TV syndicators.
Web Systems
Anne Conway
VP, Web Systems, TVB
Anne Conway is VP, Web Systems at TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry. Since joining TVB in 2010, Anne has managed its website and database systems, projects and vendor relationships. She is project manager for TVBU Sales University.
Anne began her 35 year tech career managing mainframe systems operations for the Town of North Hempstead, on Long Island. Her responsibilities and skills increased to network systems, user experience, web systems, vendor partnership management and tech leadership. Anne was a web developer with Great Lakes Credit Union in North Chicago, IL and Long Island University before joining TVB. She has two children, five grandchildren and lives in Long Island City, NY.